Last Updated on September 15, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

League Search Page > NBA > Houston Rockets > Roster & Statistics

The Houston Rockets 1987–88 season was led by Hakeem Olajuwon, whose dominant scoring, rebounding, and rim protection established the team’s identity on both ends of the floor. Sleepy Floyd emerged as the primary backcourt scorer and playmaker following his midseason arrival, while Otis Thorpe provided efficient interior scoring and rebounding. Houston relied on its imposing frontcourt and strong interior defense, but inconsistent perimeter production limited the team’s ability to contend consistently.

Roster

NO PLAYER NAME POS HT WT DATE OF BIRTH COLLEGE
1 Buck Johnson SF 6-7 190 January 3, 1964 Alabama
2 Joe Barry Carroll C 7-0 225 July 24, 1958 Purdue
7 Lester Conner PG 6-4 180 September 17, 1959 Oregon State
10 Purvis Short SG 6-7 210 July 2, 1957 Jackson State University
11 Sleepy Floyd PG 6-3 170 March 6, 1960 Georgetown
13 Andre Turner PG 5-11 160 December 13, 1964 Memphis
18 Cedric Maxwell SF 6-8 205 November 21, 1955 UNC Charlotte
20 Steve Harris SG 6-5 195 October 15, 1963 Tulsa
21 World B. Free SG 6-3 190 December 9, 1953 Guilford College
22 Rodney McCray SF 6-7 220 August 29, 1961 Louisville
30 Allen Leavell SG 6-1 170 May 27, 1957 Oklahoma City University
33 Robert Reid SG 6-8 205 August 30, 1955 St. Mary’s University
34 Hakeem Olajuwon C 7-0 255 January 21, 1963 Houston
40 Richard Anderson PF 6-10 240 November 19, 1960 UC Santa Barbara
43 Jim Petersen PF 6-10 235 February 22, 1962 Minnesota
50 Ralph Sampson PF 7-4 228 July 7, 1960 Virginia

Regular Season Per Game

Player Pos Age G GS MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TOV FGA FG% 3PA 3P% FTA FT%
Ralph Sampson PF 27 19 19 37.1 15.9 9.1 1.9 0.9 1.7 3.3 14.3 .439 0.3 .333 4.5 .741
Hakeem Olajuwon C 25 79 79 35.8 22.8 12.1 2.1 2.1 2.7 3.1 17.5 .514 0.1 .000 6.9 .695
Rodney McCray SF 26 81 80 33.2 12.4 7.8 3.3 0.7 0.6 1.8 9.2 .481 0.0 .000 4.5 .785
Sleepy Floyd PG 27 59 55 31.1 13.1 3.5 6.2 1.2 0.2 2.6 11.3 .431 0.9 .250 3.6 .860
Allen Leavell SG 30 80 54 26.9 10.2 1.9 5.1 1.6 0.1 1.6 8.3 .437 1.1 .216 3.1 .869
Jim Petersen PF 25 69 50 26.0 8.9 6.3 1.5 0.5 0.6 1.7 7.1 .510 0.1 .167 2.2 .745
Joe Barry Carroll C 29 63 16 25.3 12.0 6.3 1.5 0.6 1.3 1.9 11.3 .452 0.0 .000 2.4 .748
Purvis Short SG 30 81 11 24.1 14.3 2.7 2.0 0.7 0.2 1.5 12.2 .481 0.3 .238 3.0 .858
Robert Reid SG 32 62 31 15.8 6.3 2.0 1.1 0.4 0.1 0.7 5.7 .463 0.5 .382 1.0 .794
Steve Harris SG 24 14 10 14.2 5.9 1.5 1.2 0.6 0.1 0.4 6.1 .395 0.1 .000 1.1 .938
Buck Johnson SF 24 70 2 12.6 5.4 2.4 0.7 0.4 0.4 0.8 4.3 .520 0.1 .125 1.3 .736
Cedric Maxwell SF 32 71 0 11.9 3.8 2.5 0.8 0.3 0.2 0.8 2.4 .468 0.0 .000 2.0 .769
World B. Free SG 34 58 0 11.8 6.4 0.8 1.0 0.3 0.1 0.8 6.0 .409 0.6 .229 1.7 .800
Andre Turner PG 23 12 0 8.3 2.9 0.7 1.9 0.6 0.1 1.0 2.8 .353 0.6 .143 1.2 .714
Lester Conner PG 28 52 3 7.7 2.5 0.7 1.1 0.7 0.0 0.6 2.1 .463 0.1 .000 0.8 .780
Richard Anderson PF 27 12 0 4.4 2.7 1.4 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.1 2.2 .423 1.3 .400 0.4 .800
Team Totals — — 82 82 240.0 109.0 46.0 23.6 8.7 6.1 16.7 89.7 .471 3.5 .237 30.3 .780

Regular Season Totals

Player Pos Age GP GS Min Pts Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGA FGM 3PA 3PM FTA FTM
Hakeem Olajuwon C 25 79 79 2825 1805 959 163 162 214 243 1385 712 4 0 548 381
Rodney McCray SF 26 81 80 2689 1006 631 264 57 51 144 746 359 4 0 367 288
Allen Leavell PG 30 80 54 2150 819 148 405 124 9 130 666 291 88 19 251 218
Purvis Short SF 30 81 11 1949 1159 222 162 58 14 118 986 474 21 5 240 206
Sleepy Floyd PG 27 59 55 1834 774 205 366 68 10 156 668 288 52 13 215 185
Jim Petersen PF 25 69 50 1793 613 436 106 36 40 119 488 249 6 1 153 114
Joe Barry Carroll C 29 63 16 1596 759 396 94 37 81 121 715 323 1 0 151 113
Robert Reid SF 32 62 31 980 393 125 67 27 5 41 356 165 34 13 63 50
Buck Johnson PF 24 70 2 879 378 168 49 30 26 54 298 155 8 1 91 67
Cedric Maxwell PF 32 71 0 848 270 179 60 22 12 54 171 80 2 0 143 110
Ralph Sampson C 27 19 19 705 303 172 37 17 33 62 271 119 6 2 85 63
World B. Free SG 34 58 0 682 374 44 60 20 3 49 350 143 35 8 100 80
Lester Conner SG 28 52 3 399 132 38 59 38 1 33 108 50 7 0 41 32
Steve Harris SG 24 14 10 199 83 21 17 8 2 6 86 34 1 0 16 15
Andre Turner PG 23 12 0 99 35 8 23 7 1 12 34 12 7 1 14 10
Richard Anderson SF 27 12 0 53 32 17 4 1 0 1 26 11 15 6 5 4
Team Totals     82 82 19680 8935 3769 1936 712 502 1343 7354 3465 291 69 2483 1936

HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight

Player Name Role Tier MPG Usage Tier PPG RPG APG STK (SPG+BPG) Impact Index* Notes
Hakeem Olajuwon Franchise Centerpiece / Defensive Engine 35.8 High 22.8 12.1 2.1 4.8 20.9 Team’s dominant two-way anchor. Efficient scorer and elite rim protector (2.7 BPG). Top-10 MVP and DPOY finalist — full-spectrum impact.
Ralph Sampson Secondary Star / Interior Stretch Hub 37.1 High-Medium 15.9 9.1 1.9 2.6 14.8 Injuries limited him to 19 games, but when active, formed a high-low tandem with Olajuwon. Touch inside 15 ft, solid rebounding presence.
Rodney McCray All-Around Connector / Defensive Stopper 33.2 Medium 12.4 7.8 3.3 1.3 12.4 Defensive Team 1st. Key glue piece — versatile defender, playmaking forward. Low-usage but high-utility wing with elite defensive IQ.
Sleepy Floyd Primary Playmaker / Secondary Scorer 31.1 High 13.1 3.5 6.2 1.4 12.1 Quick-tempo guard who created flow in halfcourt sets. Balanced initiator who handled offensive orchestration.
Purvis Short Bench Scorer / Instant Offense 24.1 Medium-High 14.3 2.7 2.0 0.9 9.9 Veteran microwave scorer — efficient from midrange. Sparked second-unit offense but limited on defense.
Joe Barry Carroll Rotational Big / Scoring Backup 25.3 Medium 12.0 6.3 1.5 1.9 10.9 Productive reserve center. Soft touch and solid rebounding, though defensive motor varied.
Allen Leavell Secondary Ballhandler / Floor Organizer 26.9 Medium 10.2 1.9 5.1 1.7 9.5 Veteran stabilizer off the bench. Provided reliable playmaking and steady free-throw shooting.
Jim Petersen Rebounding Specialist / Interior Support 26.0 Medium-Low 8.9 6.3 1.5 1.1 8.9 Efficient interior role player. Excellent screen setter, solid defensive presence, great rotational big minutes.
Robert Reid Veteran Wing / Locker Room Stabilizer 15.8 Low 6.3 2.0 1.1 0.5 4.9 Veteran voice and occasional spark. Spot minutes contributor who provided leadership and IQ.
Buck Johnson Developing Forward / Utility Depth 12.6 Low 5.4 2.4 0.7 0.8 4.7 Emerging young forward; displayed athleticism and shooting promise. Efficient finisher in limited minutes.
World B. Free Veteran Depth / Offense-First Guard 11.8 Low-Medium 6.4 0.8 1.0 0.4 4.3 Former star turned situational scorer. Provided experience and spacing but limited defense.
Cedric Maxwell Veteran Mentor / Small-Ball Big 11.9 Low 3.8 2.5 0.8 0.5 3.8 Late-career minutes as a stabilizer; known more for leadership and toughness than statistical output.
Steve Harris Reserve Guard / Energy Plug 14.2 Low 5.9 1.5 1.2 0.7 4.7 Short stint guard — injected pace and hustle. Low efficiency but active perimeter defender.
Lester Conner Defensive Guard / Depth Facilitator 7.7 Low 2.5 0.7 1.1 0.7 2.5 Defensive-minded reserve who pressured the ball. Limited offensive role but provided backcourt depth.
Andre Turner End-Bench PG / Developmental Prospect 8.3 Low 2.9 0.7 1.9 0.7 3.1 Rookie guard learning pace of play. Showed flashes of quickness and court vision in minimal minutes.
Richard Anderson End-Bench Stretch 4 4.4 Minimal 2.7 1.4 0.3 0.1 2.3 Limited floor time but occasional shooting touch from midrange. Situational spacing option.